A veteran who nearly lost his life on the water last week had an emotional reunion Monday with the men who saved his life.

Robert Biangazzo was fishing off the west jetty at Shinnecock Inlet last Monday during high tide when he says he suddenly slipped and tumbled into the water.

Biangazzo, who served in the Marines, only has the full use of one of his hands and he says he can't swim. He was left clinging to the slippery rocks and calling for help.

Good Samaritan Carl Rohn has lived in the area most of his life. He says if the wind was blowing hard that day, he likely wouldn't have been able to hear Biangazzo's calls for help over the sound of the water.

"I walked up on the rocks. I was hearing a very faint noise," Rohn recalls. "It didn't even sound human. So I walked up the jetty and I could see his hand waving, saying, 'Help me, help me.'"

Rohn grabbed on and called for help, and he and Bay Constables Al Tuzzolo and Alfred Greenwald were able to pull Biangazzo to safety.

Rohn says the area can be very dangerous. Tuzzolo recommends using an inflatable life jacket.

Biangazzo says he will never go fishing alone again on the jetty.